Young Sam Johnson

The Gentleman’s Magazine for June 1736

Shortly after his marriage to Elizabeth Porter (1689-1752), Johnson settled in the town of Edial, just outside of Lichfield, his birthplace. Having unsuccessfully tried to work as a teacher in other schools, and not yet receiving any substantial income from his literary efforts, Johnson established his own school, for which he attempted to solicit students by placing an advertisement in the June, 1736 issue of the Gentleman's Magazine: "At Edial, near Litchfield in Staffordshire, Young Gentlemen are Boarded, and Taught the Latin and Greek Languages, by Samuel Johnson." The advertisement failed to provide the hoped-for boost to enrollment, and Johnson was forced to close the school just eight months later. However, Johnson’s time as a schoolmaster did have one lasting impact on his life: one of his students, David Garrick (1717-1779), who later attained prominence on the London stage, became Johnson's lifelong friend.